


Shadow of A Heart

by Madquinn13



Category: Tomb Raider (Video Games)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2019-07-27
Packaged: 2020-07-21 05:54:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19996930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madquinn13/pseuds/Madquinn13
Summary: Lara finally gets the happy life she deserves.





	Shadow of A Heart

Lara was leaning back in her desk chair reading a novel when she heard the knock on the door. 

“Come in.” She called not looking up.

“Miss Lara if I may be so bold.” Winston started which made Lara place her bookmark and lay the book down.

“Is this about the American peanut butter?” Ever since Sam had moved in after they rekindled their relationship and Lara as Sam put it ‘stopped acting like a self righteous ass’ Sam had came back with Lara to the manor. Winston not used to a loud Yank living in the manor was having a hard time adjusting since refusing to stay in retirement until he properly trained new staff as well Lara in how the manor should be cared for. 

“No. I understand your history and fondness for Miss Nishimura but I truly do not think she is right for this house.” 

“What did Sam do this time Winston?” Lara was used to these conversations the past five months. 

“While I was in the kitchen preparing your tea she came in and filled a mug with tap water dropped a tea bag in it then placed both in the microwave. She explained that is how she has always made tea.” 

“I'm aware that Sam improperly makes tea Winston.”

“The kettle was already boiled.”

“I'm sure it was.”

“If this is how she treats the most basic tasks perhaps she should move into the guest house, I'm sure the guest room is not big enough for her.” 

“Winston Sam is not moving in the guest house. You just need to adjust to her living here too.”

“It is impressive how well she makes the bed. I’d almost swear I made it myself.”

Lara had to think about horrible things in order not to laugh or smirk at that. 

“Well at least there is one thing you like about her.”

“I do enjoy seeing you happy. It has been a very long time but she always brings a smile to your face.” Winston bowed his head before leaving the room mumbling about needing to get dinner started. 

Lara knew that it would be an adjustment for Winston, not only was she reluctant at best for most of the things he wanted her to do, that were proper for her to do but Sam and her habits were going to drive him mad. 

Just as she was getting focused again in her novel the door burst opened.

“Lara we need to renovate at least two rooms.” Sam sighed walking in and going straight to the plush seat in front of the desk. 

Once again Lara placed the bookmark in her book before placing it down. 

“We need to renovate two rooms?”

“Yeah. So you know that room that is basically a museum with the giant paper bat hanging and the entire ceiling is a sky light?”

“The one right next to my mom’s studio?” 

“Uh huh. I want to turn it into it my own studio, we turn a section of it into a green screen, and maybe make your mom’s studio into my editing studio? Only if you’re comfortable with it I understand completely if you want to keep that untouched.” Sam asked with a bright smile as if she knew she was asking the world of Lara. 

“Okay, just give me a few days, a week tops to find a room to turn into the new museum, there are a lot of intricate things that will be needed.”

“Would it be easier to change the roof in one of the larger rooms into a sky light?” Sam asked not thinking about the massive puzzle built into the room. 

“It would be easier to turn the basement into a sunroom than to remake the room. But if that is the room you want for your studio, we can do it.” Lara reassured her. She didn’t mind, she really didn’t she would do anything for Sam. 

“I’ll go check out the other rooms. See if any of them have better acoustics.” Sam glanced over the white queen statue. “She could use a new paint of coat.”

Lara feigned shocked rushing over to the statue to cover it’s ear. “Sam she can hear you.” Lara removed her hands from the false ears. “Don’t listen to her, you look very beautiful.” 

“You’re such a dork.”

“Oh and please stop microwaving tea. Winston wants you to move into the guest house because of it. I think it physically pains him to just know someone under the same roof is doing it.” 

“Winston thinks we live in the 19th century.” 

“He just likes things prim and proper Sam.”

“He keeps having dresses sent here for you.”

“I know Sam. I’ve talked to him before, he thinks it’ll be smart to have a few gowns just in case.” 

“Oh yeah expecting visits from Will and Kate are you? Because why else would you need ten ball gowns?” 

“First of all Will is too busy, but Harry, he doesn’t give notice. You just come home your bike is gone and a note is left in the parking spot that says ‘Needed a ride, thanks Cousin -HRH, Harry.’ It’s so annoying.”

“I’m sorry, wait, are Harry and Will actually your cousins?”

“I mean, they are in some form.” Lara just shrugged, the blue blooded families crossed branches in the family trees too much. “Just, please, please try and not bastardize every English act he cares about, at least not where he can see you.” 

“I’ll hide the horrible American things I do. Enjoy your time relaxing and reading for fun. I’ll be back with lunch to make sure you remember to eat.” 

“Thanks Sam.” 

…

Sam opened the door to the study quietly smiling as she saw a familiar sight. Lara fast asleep on her desk, the book under her head. Sam knew that Lara would be quite content to just sleep like that for the whole night, it was how she slept most often while they were in uni. 

Sam knew that at least before Serbia and the time apart they don’t like to talk about, if she tried to wake Lara up there was a chance of getting choked, but lately that wasn’t the case. Lara actually slept, she didn’t wake up five times a night screaming or thrashing about. It was almost just like it was before everything changed. Magic wasn’t a known fact it was just something in storybooks.

“Lara sweetie, wake up, you’re going to hurt your neck sleeping like this.” Sam gently spoke as she shook her. 

“M’kay.” Lara mumbled shifting a bit in her sleep. 

“No Lara come on, wake up just enough to stand up and I’ll make sure you get to bed.” Sam wrapped her arm around Lara’s waist and lifted her up. “Next time maybe you should have gone to bed when you found it hard to keep your eyes open.”

“I’ve gone longer without sleep.” Lara mumbled. 

“I know but it doesn’t mean you need to try and break your record.” Sam put one of Lara’s arms around her shoulder to make it easier to half carry half walk Lara the distance to their bedroom. When Sam finally got them to the bed she let Lara just ungracefully plop down on the bed, before she stripped her down to just her underwear. Sam turned off the light before stripping down as well crawling in bed next to Lara and pulled the sheets over them. 

“Love you Sam.” Lara mumbled burying her face in the crook of Sam’s neck.

“Love you too Lara.” Sam wrapped her arms tightly around Lara’s waist. 

...

“So this is the therapist you’re seeing?” Sam looked up through the windshield of the car at the office building. 

“Yeah. He’s been really helpful. I still am not how I was before Yamitai or anything but I know that realistically I’ll never be the same as I was back then but that’s okay. I can only do what I think is best at the time, there is no sense in thinking back on the past and using information I have now to think I could have made a better choice than I did.” 

“Wow you really are doing better with therapy.”

“Well that and I sacrificed myself when I was a god in a village that was separated from the outside world and now ruled by a boy king.” 

“Yeah don’t mention that to the therapist.” Sam did always feel a stab in the heart when Lara mentioned that she had sacrificed herself. It was only by some miracle that Lara herself didn’t die. 

“I know. We talk a lot about metaphors.” Lara laughed. “We should go to Paititi for a vacation. There is this herd of albino cababaris. And the cliff diving is amazing, especially this one by a hidden tomb.” Lara light up with excitement. 

“That all sounds amazing Lara. Now go to your therapy session and then we can go to lunch.” Sam kissed her cheek before getting out to take the driver’s seat from Lara. 

“See you in an hour.” 

…

“So how did it go?” Sam asked as Lara got into the passenger seat. 

“I think you should come with me next time.” Lara spoke quietly.

“Okay, are you guys talking about really serious stuff? Need some support?”

“No I think that we never really talked about Yamiati and we should and Dr. Allister could help.” Lara wasn’t looking at Sam, she was just staring out the passenger side window. 

“If you want to talk about Yamiati we can talk about it. Personally I don’t think we need someone else in the room when we do. We never used to need someone be in the room before when we talked.” 

“I know but we’ve changed. Our relationship has changed.” Lara explained. “I left you. I became obsessed with revenge and Trinity and I pushed everyone, everything else away. I mean Sam I had Jonah angry and yelling at me. Jonah Mr. Teddy Bear, was yelling at me. I still think that putting distance between us was a good idea, but I should have explained to you what I was doing and why. Not just leave you wondering if I was even alive.” 

“You changed my number in Jonah’s phone and even had him change his number so I couldn’t talk to him. What you did was really out of line. You didn’t even tell Jonah what you were doing. He thought I cut him off. You made it so I had no way to find out if you or Jonah were alive. I was just left to worry.”

“I know what I did was wrong Sam and I have apologised so much already for that. ” Lara finally looked towards Sam. “I was being hunted and attacked in my own home when no one was supposed to know I was there. I was attacked in our loft and in the manor. After everything that already happened to you I just wanted to keep you as far from what was happening to me. I should have told you. I should have done anything but what I actually did. Even a note with the Jaffa Cakes would have been better.” 

Sam pulled the car over to the side of the road so she could fully look at Lara without possibly causing a car accident. 

“Let’s be clear about this. I am not still angry at you for all that. You were in a terrible place mentally. You did what you thought was best. I would have preferred to have been included in the discussion about  **my** future but I understand why you did what you did. It is not your fault that a part of Himiko’s soul was transferred into me. It is not your fault that you didn’t know that was what happened to me until it was too late. It is not your fault that I/Himiko kept you away when I needed you and when you needed me. It is not your fault that Trinity had gotten to me in the hospital. But Lara you are the one who saved me. Time and time again you saved me. You protected me.” Sam tried to get through to Lara. “Always.” 

“I still should have handled it all better. I should have noticed you were different.” Lara sighed. 

“I’ll go with you to your next session. If you still want me too.”

“I think it will really be good for us.” 

…

After the real talk in the car the couple had gone right to the bed where they had the chance to show each other how much they loved and cared for each other. 

Sam was tracing all of Lara’s scars and had paused at the scar directly over Lara’s heart. 

“Why do you always focus on this scar?” Lara asked brushing the hair out of Sam’s face. 

“Because I have very conflicted feelings about this scar. The others are just mixes of how I wished you weren’t hurt but also signs of how strong and amazing you are. Like this one.” Sam lightly touched the burned skin from where Lara had to cauterize her own rebarb stab wound. “But this scar.” Sam was back to the heart scar. “I do like that it made it come to your senses but I hate that in order for you to come to your senses you died. You allowed yourself to be a human sacrifice.” 

“Well yeah...Sam I had to. I had to save the world. Plus it wasn’t a human sacrifice, it was a God sacrifice. That’s why I’m still alive. Only the God part of me died.” Lara frowned when Sam moved back completely from her. 

“Okay I know that you said you were all glowing and totally actually a God, but see the more you talk about the God part of you, the more I want to smack you because it sounds so pompous and conceited.” Sam explained. “Coming from me that says a lot. I was the one who almost got jumped at the Nine Bells pub because I asked for a glass bottle of water.”

“I remember Sam. I’m the one who had to calm everyone down by telling them you were just learning English. I will never mention the time I was a God again.” 

“I just don’t want to think about you getting stabbed in the heart.” Sam sighed. “Do you think Winston will get mad if we eat Jaffa Cakes in bed?”

“Oh he will ban them from all areas but the dining room if we stain the sheets.” Lara laughed. 

“It’s so weird here, I mean none of the servants at my parents houses would dream of telling my parents what to do like Winston does with you.”

“Winston isn’t a servant, I mean he is but its like he’s part of the family. He raised my father, he raised me. This is more his house than ours.”

“He is the Carson to this Abbey.”

“ _ Sam _ !” 

“The only difference between your family and the Crawley family is that the Crofts worked, it was mostly in academia but still. I mean the village does pay taxes to the Croft family.”

“Not taxes so much as rent, we own all the land and buildings.”

“Wow. That is nuts. You’ll like always have money.” 

“Yeah, but mostly we can make sure that the village is always up to date. That’s where the money goes, just for upkeep and the like.” 

“You’re totally the nice sweet Mary.” 

“Not Syball?”

“Nah, she was completely useless at first. I can’t picture you ever needing to be taught to make tea.” 

“Should we tell Winston to forget dinner and just go to bed?”

“Sounds good, you call down to the kitchen and tell him.” Lara yawned cuddling into Sam. 

“Fine but if he blames this on my  _ Americaness _ I’m tossing you under the bus.” 


End file.
